ADI Screens Get Glorious Glastonbury Going

Up close with the legendary Leonard CohenADI provided LED screens for the world’s most famous festival at last weekend’s Glastonbury.

ADI supplied three screens for The Pyramid Stage; the festival’s main stage and host to the largest audiences throughout the weekend.

Having overcome slow ticket sales and much media debate about the line-up, this year’s Glastonbury turned out to be one of the most successful ever, helped in no small part by uncharacteristically good weather!

ADI had arrived on site on the Tuesday, to begin rigging the two 40m² screens that would be flown either side of the Pyramid Stage, as well as position the 25m² mobile screen behind the front-of-house position about 50m in front of the stage. Although Glastonbury officially begins on a Friday, tens of thousands of happy campers pour through the gates as early as Wednesday, with the vast 900 acre site on Pilton Farm quickly becoming a sea of tents. Glastonbury has never been purely about the music, so the crowds had the whole of Thursday to acclimatise themselves to the festival’s strange sights and laid back atmosphere before the musical entertainment kicked off. It also allowed ADI’s crew a day to finish setting up then relax before the long days ahead.

Huge crowds for Goldfrapp on Sunday...Kate Nash opened The Pyramid Stage on Friday morning, and was the first in a typically eclectic line-up throughout the weekend that included an outstanding performance from Saturday night’s headliner Jay-Z, making a mockery of the controversy that had dogged the announcement of the hip-hop act headlining Glastonbury. With huge crowds of up to 80,000 clamouring for a good view, ADI’s screens played a vital part; particularly the mobile screen, which allowed a good view for those behind the front-of-stage tower.

As the fine weather held throughout the weekend, Sunday’s Pyramid Stage crowd were treated to a couple of songwriting legends, as first Neil Diamond and then Leonard Cohen had them singing along to some old favourites. With The Verve playing the Sunday night headline slot, the Pyramid Stage drew to a close at around midnight as the crowds dissipated to enjoy their final night at Glastonbury and perhaps a final sunrise from the legendary Stone Circle!

...whilst ADI's mobile screen ensures that the less energetic fans still get a great view! ADI's Project Manager, Nick Robinson, commented: “Having worked in the industry for 10 years and done music festivals throughout Europe, we approached Glastonbury as we would any other job, however once on site it became clear that it is a very special event build on strong ideological beliefs and supporting a plethora of worthy charities. The attitude of all those working there reflected this; in an atmosphere of co-operation we delivered to as diverse an audience as I had ever seen. The weather was a fantastic bonus and I look forward to being involved in the future.”